By Chris Slone

The Tribune

“Life is what you make it,” sounds like an old cliché found in a fortune cookie. But there are people in this world who define that cliché everyday.

Sharon Kennedy-Norris is one of those people.

She took her initial success and “ran with the ball.”

Sharon is a clinical pharmacist. She works at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Huntington, W.Va. She is also certified in Kentucky and Ohio.

The Ironton native chose pharmacy as a career. But she used that career as a stepping-stone toward serving others.

“I view the profession of pharmacy as a call to service and not just a job,” Sharon said. “It is a true passion to serve that drives me.”

Sharon’s passion gives her the desire to go above and beyond the typical everyday pharmacist.

“After a long day of caring for patients and addressing their needs, I customarily will continue to work additional hours, researching the most recent medical and clinical studies, articles and treatment strategies to continue to improve my knowledge and skills,” Sharon said.

Since 2006, Sharon has been involved in five research projects. She has been the principal investigator on each project.

“I love the opportunities that research provides,” Sharon said. “I have always had a great interest in science and research, dating back to my high school days, when I competed in the Westinghouse Science Talent Search, the NASA Science Talent Search, and local and district science fairs.”

Aside from serving patients and researching the latest methods, Sharon has traveled across the nation giving presentations. Since 1999, she has given 19 presentations.

“I feel the presentations that I give at the local, state and national-levels have provided an opportunity to advance my profession as well as myself,” Sharon said.

In 2011, she was invited to give a presentation at the American Society of Consultant Pharmacist’s annual meeting. The presentation, entitled “New Era in Anticoagulation: New World or New Worries,” was presented at a national meeting that was attended by more than 1,000 pharmacists.

“The presentations challenge me to deepen my knowledge base and allow me to serve as a role model to others within the profession,” Sharon said.

Sharon has been a member of seven professional organizations. She has also had seven teaching opportunities since 1998.

“I have always been a motivated individual and have always embraced any opportunities to challenge and improve myself professionally and personally,” Sharon said. “I feel very blessed to have positive role-models within my family that demonstrated that same level of personal responsibilities and self-motivation.”